Lombard Street was so steep that it needed eight turns to make it drivable: San Francisco by car: driving down the eight turns of Lombard Street. If so, then these self-guided walking tours of San Francisco are just for you! Make a stop here to take some photos, or simply drive by so you can tell your friends you saw them! Follow a live GPS map down a curated route. We'll exit SF's Chinatown through the Dragon's Gate. >> Find additional self-guided tours plus some multi-day itineraries. Includes. The app knew exactly where I was each time. Got a soft spot for the hippie-dippie days of the 1960s? That way it will only take more time and you will have to examine San Francisco bus and cable car maps and timetables. Interested in seeing as many gorgeous views of the city as possible? It will let you visit a wide variety of tourist destinations in a short amount of time and without walking up a single hill! This tour takes you along to visit many of San Francisco's must-see places while you are in control behind the wheel of our own vehicle. These houses called the Painted Ladies can be seen on San Francisco postcards. Get your Go City San Francisco All-Inclusive Pass, save up to 50% and take advantage of unlimited access to 25+ top attractions and a downloadable guide. All individual tours come with lifetime validity. Included with your San Francisco tour is a complimentary bonus tour of the Golden Gate Bridge. Alcatraz, the historic prison island of San Francisco. Our San Francisco exploration begins at one of the city's most iconic stops: the Painted Ladies! Yet the Painted Ladies are not the only houses like that in the big city, there are Victorian houses all over San Francisco. Open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily. Go City | San Francisco All-Inclusive Pass. It's also where Pebble Beach Golf Club is located, a legendary course that has attracted the likes of Teddy Roosevelt and Sir Winston Churchill. We offer Escorted Motorcoach Tours, Self Drive Tours, Cruises and Vacation Packages in North America. Next, youll head into the citys tech quarter, where youll spot big-name HQs like Uber and Twitter and get a crash course in how Frisco became the go-to spot for the most cutting-edge tech produced anywhere. Our tour of Fishermans Wharf covers 13 stops and includes 8 great restaurants or foods you may want to enjoy while youre in the area. It's all up to you! Hit the road whenever youre ready, stop as often as youd like, and just enjoy the journey! >> Learn more about things to see and do in Japantown. We loved it as it had been our first time visiting. The busy street begins at the Dragons Gate and you will find loads of Chinese restaurants on the main street and even more on the side streets: On the nearby Kearny Street the Chinese community of San Francisco gathers for Chinese music and games. We have put together a list of 7 must-see sites for San Francisco visitors. If youre planning to bike across the Golden Gate Bridge, this could be an interesting addition to that activity. CityListen Audio Tours Includes Tours of New York, Chicago, and San Francisco CarTours Self-guided Interpretive Audio Driving Tours Includes Tours of Lewis and Clark Trail, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, The North Cascades Highway, and The Olympic Peninsula Museum of the Open Road (MOTOR) American Highway Tours This self-guided tour starts by first visiting the Rosie the Riveter Visitor Education Center in Richmond, CA. It's a totally weird and unique San Francisco thing ( here's a list of a bunch of other weird San Francisco quirks). We include a few details about each tour to give you an idea of what to expect on each outing. Recommended by 97% of travelers. Explore all that San Francisco has to offer, from the twists and turns of Lombard Street, through the bustling streets of Chinatown, and to the top of Telegraph Hill! It still has an appeal and is well worth visiting when you are exploring San Francisco by car. San Francisco sightseeing by car: Alamo Square. One of the key features of this expo was the launch of the 49-Mile scenic drive, which showed off both of the bridges and ended at the Treasure Island fairgrounds. You can experience ourdrivingandwalking tours at your own pace and literally at any time of the day! From here, we can explore the wonders of the nearby Ferry Building or make our way to Fisherman's Wharf for a glimpse of the infamous Alcatraz! California sea lions are noisy, they bark and they smell. Founded as a "sketch club" for female artists in 1887, San Francisco Women Artists (SFWA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and expanding women in the arts. The San Andreas Fault has unleashed a shockwave felt from Los Angeles to Oregon, with the epicenter just off the coast of San Francisco. Lombard Street twists down past green bushes and flower beds. Id also done a tour with the sister company in Los Angeles several years ago. You can read about San Francisco sights in my previous blog post San Francisco Sightseeing. It's a day of gorgeous art and tasty treats. Free cancellation. This is Grant Avenue, the Chinatowns main street. Or, if you are in the mood for ice cream, the Bi-Rite Creamery salted caramelice cream is worth waiting in line for. This will finally bring us to the Embarcadero. Choose from driving one of our GoCars, Arcimotos, Scooters, or Vanderhalls. This was the main entry point to the city until two bridges, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge, were opened. All tours are valid for a lifetime. Your home, the capital of the West Coast, has been reduced to rubble in minutes: 28,000 buildings destroyed, 3,000 dead and more than . You can take a ferry to Sausalito and Tiburon north ofthe bay, or to Oakland and Vallejo in the east. Then well guide you all around, making sure you see everything this historic place has to offer! Tour along Highway 1 by the towns of Santa Cruz and Capitola. It also has a map showing you where your next stop will be. The onsite gallery hosts monthly exhibitions, as well as permanent work by current and past members. Take your time driving through Monterey Bay, artsy Carmel and more. For example, you could easily drive past Tessie Walls infamous brothel without knowing about it! Simply follow the audio instructions and the route from there. You will be taken through parts of the city that arent always all that pretty before you get back on route. San Francisco has water on three sides so you can imagine how useful the bridges were and still are. I've created one for each of our most popular districts. It has three Michelin stars (the highest rating) and the James Beard Award for outstanding restaurant. From San Francisco: Highway 1 Self-Drive Audio Tour in English. And I like the pretty flower beds in between. Checkout Lombard Street, claimed to be 'the crookedest street in the world', containing 8 hairpin turns. You cant visit San Francisco without flashing back to the hippie-dippie days of the 1960s. Hop in your car and enjoy this self-guided audio tour along the Pacific Coast Highway. Recommend! Chinatown: This is one of the most visited neighborhoods in SF, since there is so much to see and do. Probably the most comprehensive tour of San Francisco is the 49-mile Scenic Drive . Nob Hill and the next hill, Russian Hill, have splendid views to the city and to the bay area: A San Francisco city tour on Russian Hill. 2022Outdoor Activities in San Francisco. If you are only going to be in the area for a day or two, then an unique way to fit them all in is to take San Franciscos 49-Mile scenic drive. The Action Tour Guide app functions as a guide, an audio tour, and a map all in one. 2. Taking a self-guided walking tour around San Francisco is a great way to get to know our amazing city. Just be aware of this. Your tour will conclude here, but that isnt where the fun ends! Then its on to Chinatown and Manilatown, where youll hear about both historic districts long, embattled history. This tour doesnt include entrance to attractions along the route. No worries! However, if you are planning to start and finish the drive at the traditional spot, near San Francisco City Hall, then youll want to get a hotel close to that point. I could start and stop the tour whenever I wanted to break and resume. These signs themselves are part of the history of the scenic drive. Then take Washington Street towards the next park in the west, Alta Plaza. Mooncakes are their specialty, filled with a light melon or rich-tasting lotus-seed paste. Know about new tour launches, get exclusive access to sales and much more. Opening hours: Fri 12:00am-11:59pm. Hit the road whenever you're ready, stop as often as you'd like, and just enjoy the journey! San Francisco: D Book now from $8! As we continue driving, we'll dive into what makes SF the city that it is: it's past, it's present, and the promise of it's future. It was great and I would totally come back and try other routes when theyre up and running! Review of: Golden Gate Bridge Bike Rental - Near the Golden Gate Bridge! Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, having grown up in the area, and pointed out not only historical places, but beautiful murals, homes and fun nooks and crannies (like hidden stairways to streets) that we never would have seen on our own. Our drive through San Francisco brings us past a magnificent marble building: the San Francisco City Hall! And now, the Map If you come to San Francisco, you might join one of Britt's tours of the city. Powell-Hyde Line: Cable Car Museum and Russian Hill. Well worth the price and what I also liked about the tour was how easy it was. However, Nob Hill was rebuilt and today its a place where upper class families and urban professionals like to live. We provide a map with each stop listed on our self-guided tour of North Beach to ensure that you wont get lost and itll be easy to spot each attraction. Stop at Eastern Bakery: 720 Grant Avenue. Begin this self-guided tour in the heart of San Francisco. After that walk through Chinatown, which has some of the best food in the city, making it the perfect spot . There are a total of 19 stops to visit, and they are all in the same general location, so it shouldnt take longer than 1 - 2 hours to complete. Gold Rush to Golden Gate: Self Guided Tour of San Francisco. All rights reserved. London Over 50 points of interest in San Francisco! A San Francisco self-guided tour is a must-do on your tour of California, so be sure to visit our website for more information. Table of contents. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Zip around on a Segway tour. However, in some way we did manage to get up California Street (and all other streets)! The new cable car line provided easy access to the hill. Youll get to know their history and why these quirky little cars are still used today. This may very well be one of the last drive-up movie theaters! Lowest price guarantee Reserve now & pay laterFree cancellation. Without a doubt, one of the most enchanting things about this magical city is the neighborhoods. Fog. Damien was the best! Fishermans Wharf was and still is a fishing harbor, but its new main focus has changed from fishing industry to tourism industry. Past members include luminaries like Imogen Cunningham and Ruth Asawa. Pacific Heights surprised us: all streets are lined with old-style Victorian homes. The streets here are so quiet and leafy that you couldnt imagine this is in a huge metropolis. Enjoy Santa Barbara's quintessential downtown and then continue down to Ventura and Malibu. This post will show you aSan Francisco sightseeing itinerary by car. Expand All. We also offer a new favorite spots map of San Franciscos downtown core. We spent a sunny Saturday driving around Central San Francisco and on Sunday we explored the Golden Gate area. Since 2012. Beach Street garages had very reasonable parking rates and they had flat rates for the whole day on a Saturday. Send us your resume, All Rights Reserved 2023 Real San Francisco Tours | Sitemap. Brooklyn Bike Tour. As we drive through the city, we'll learn all about San Francisco's realtionship with technology, Silicon Valley, and more. The Financial District of San Francisco has changed a lot since the Gold Rush when this place already was a base for trade functions. San Francisco has well developed public transport and many connections. 7 Sites to Visit on a Driving Tour of San Francisco. The heyday of the Haight was the 1967 Summer of Love when thousands or young California dreamers flocked to the place and filled all quarters. Not far away from Haight Ashbury comes the place where we will end our San Francisco sightseeing tour for today. There was a lot more to see than we had thought, coming from Europe and being fist time visitors. If you have decided that taking a stroll through San Franciscos most charming neighborhoods sounds like a good plan, weve got you covered with our Walking Tours of San Francisco. Email, phone, and chat support are available if needed. Explore all that San Francisco has to offer, from the twists and turns of Lombard Street, through the bustling streets of Chinatown, and to the top of Telegr. And our professional guides will help you find each of the most notable landmarks in the neighborhood. Choose to skip a stop and have all the best information about each stop at your fingertips. This tour covers some of the most interesting sites in the historic Chinatown district of San Francisco. You will also find others that offer either audio or a map to get you from point to point. You can also cycle this route very easily (there are numerous bike rental shops in the area). Call 619-236-1242 for recorded information or to leave a voice message. Enjoy an immersive walk with amazing views and riveting stories of San Francisco and visit the notorious Alcatraz prison during this guided tour! Most San Francisco seals travel south in summer to give birth to their pups and to be back here for winter. For those who like to sit and relax, packages can be customized to include private city tours or even private road . Alternatively, we also offer a fully guided free walking tour of Fishermans Wharf. Check availability. Then, stop at Pier 39 to see the seal lion colony and the two-level carousel at the end of the pier. Our North Beach tour is close to stops in both Chinatown and Fishermans Wharf, so it might make sense to enjoy more than one outing at the same time. 2 hours. Not only that, but you can also create your own walk with the attractions that interest you most and even set your hotel as . From tasting delicious food to feeling the hippy love, to exploring the haunted past of San Francisco, theres something there for everyone. GPS-activated audio app that plays on your phone. You dont want to miss out on seeing the Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill. Our self-guided tour of Chinatown includes a map that you can . Big Island Tour Bundle. If you're looking to explore some of San Francisco's most famous neighborhoods by pounding the pavement, try this self-guided itinerary from local authors Kristine Poggioli and Carolyn Eidson. You know that San Francisco is famous for its hills, right? That post is about driving around Central San Francisco, but now: time for the Golden Gate area . Take in the open space - and famous St Francis Hotel - before heading down Maiden Lane, SF's old red-light district (now full of designer boutiques). Locals call it the blast from the past, and for good reasons. At last, youll reach the beautiful waterfront, home to some of the best food and drink in Frisco, not to mention astonishing views of the bay! It should say Powell-Hyde (it has a brown sign). I've used these in other cities too and they are great. Explore California Academy of Sciences entrance tickets. The audio tour's auto-play feature tells you the stories behind the attractions as you experience them. Twin Peaks are also typically less crowded than the Coit Tower, which is always a plus. With TourCentric, youll arrive as a tourist and leave as a local. Electric Tour Company Guided Walking . Between Carmel and Monterey, 17 Mile Drive affords dramatic views of the Pacific Ocean and Del Monte Forest along the Monterey Peninsula. The start of your scenic drive celebrates San Diego as a seaport city as our massive bay is filled with aircraft carriers, cruise ships, historic sailboats and private yachts. All rights reserved. Market Street is the main street that cuts through Downtown San Francisco, running from the Ferry Buildingto thePowell Street Cable Car Turntable. Check out our favorite local recommendations listed in the app and stop for a bite. Bring your walking shoes we started at 10 am and finished at 6 pm, I highly recommend you do this tour. While a lot of people are happy just to see this beautiful bridge or even cross the historic structure, there is a lot more to see in the area which we cover on our self-guided tour. No self-respecting local would be caught dead at Pier 39 (except to visit the resident seals), or the "visitor's center" at the Golden Gate Bridge, or Alcatraz ( many of us have never bothered to tour Alcatraz). But the whole experience was amazing and well worth the trip from San Francisco! So most old harbor buildings have been transformed to restaurants and shopping malls. Your email address will not be published. After driving a long while up and down the incrediblysteep hills (yes, they are steep) we left the car for a few hours in a parking garage (Beach Street close to Pier 39 on the map) and explored the Fishermans Wharf area by foot. The thing I love about these walks is that all 50 are printed on their own cards. The busy season falls around October through May, and entrance fees are $30 for a 7-day vehicle permit or $15 per person on foot. The experience complies with government regulations, Areas frequented by visitors are regularly disinfected, Hand sanitizers are provided for staff and visitors, All gear/equipment is sanitized between use. Andrew H 10/26/2019. Receive a 100% refund if you cancel up to 24 hours before the experience begins. Tour access for the full car, not per person, GPS-connected audio to automatically play as you approach a landmark or location, Additional media content in-app, including photos and images, New York Self Drive Tour-PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION, San Francisco: An Expert Local Travel Guide, Public Transit Tours Waiver and Terms & Conditions, Purchase the San Francisco Self Drive Tour (only one purchase is necessary per car), Connect your device to your car speakers and listen to the stories as you follow the route indicated. You may also want to consider our GPS-enabled audio tour of the Golden Gate Bridge, which includes GPS guidance to help you find each stop. Musement helps you get the best from every destination, by giving you easy access to memorable experiences around the world. This means only a small number of sea lions stay here throughout the year. CONGRATULATIONS!You are about to embark on an adventure filled self-guided tour of the neighborhoods of Mrida. 4 Muir Beach to Muir Woods and Mill Valley. Here you will find some of the best at night from scary ghost walks to night cruises around the bay. You can spot some of San Franciscos most famous landmarks from here. So, if youd rather have some help seeing the best sites in the area, this is an excellent option. If you are craving a burrito, be sure to visit La Taqueria or Papalote. Despite that they look really cute, social and intelligent. With an automatic car its easier. Philadelphia The tour works offline which means you do not need your phone network to enjoy the tour. The place at the end of Pier 39 is just perfect for these water mammals, there is a lot of food in the water and the bay is sheltered from all winds and waves. All of these tours take you on a specific walking route through the city. Nob Hill, the highest summit of central San Francisco, is our next destination. English. Street corner after street corner. Both days were fantastic and the natural beauty of the hilly metropolis surprised us. Alcatraz tickets with 2-day hop-on hop-off San Francisco bus pass. Next, we'll head up one of SF's famous hills: Theres a phenomenal view of the bay and of the city skyline once youre up there. With the bonus tour, youll get up close and personal with that famous landmark and even drive across it for some killer views! Then youll swing by the City Hall, which you might feel like you recognize because you probably do! Dive into the hippest, most exciting city in the country, Hear the wild, unexpected history of San Fran, Take in phenomenal views from atop Telegraph Hill, Cross the Golden Gate Bridge with a bonus tour. We provide customizable self guided driving vacations throughout United States, including car rentals, GPS, and hotel accommodations. I found the one in the picture on the left in the North Beach neighborhood. Apparently, reservations are required . San Francisco City Self-Guided Driving Tour in English. Perfect for photographers, the bridge offers stunning views of the city, even if the evening fog has already rolled in. Travel has always been my passion and work and with this Routes and Trips Travel Guide I want to inspire you to travel the world. Many of their idols like Jimi Hendrix were living here at that time and rock music was heard and hippie art seen in all places. from. To make driving easier, the most curved section of Lombard Street was made a one-way street (only down), and there is a strict speed limit (5 mph, 8km/hour). To open in Google Maps click the icon in the top right corner. They are much easier to use than an audio tour if there is more than one person in your group. Simply put, Action Tour Guide is an audio guide, map, and tour book all in one app! As we drive, we'll learn all about how this city was founded and why it grew. HOLLYWOOD AND VINE TOUR. Simply download the free TourCentric app, purchase your San . You can get a free, printable, detailed map of the San Francisco 49 Mile Drive right here for your trip. In all, we have prepared 12 self-guided walks for you to explore San Francisco, which cover everything from charming streets and neighborhoods to the most famous architectural achievements, street art and shopping areas. Prague San Francisco City Hall, Dr Carlton B Goodlett Pl, San Francisco, California 94102, U.S. Now we could get back to the hills, to Pacific Heights: From the harbor its an easy drive to our next San Francisco destination. Chicago Finally something like 100 000 hippies from all over the States and abroad gathered in Haight and the nearby parks of Panhandle and Golden Gate. Here you will find some of the best wine tasting trips to both of these regions. Learn the fascinating history of this city from the water. You will also find some of the best Mexican, Cuban and other cuisines from both South and Central America. Segway Tours Looking for fun things to do with friends? n audio guide, map, and tour book all in one app! Just remember to bring a jacket it gets windy up there! Alternatives include taking a tour bus that goes along most of the route or renting a bicycle and doing it on bike, which takes approximately six hours but eliminates some of the difficulties of having to drive in the city. Chinatown is like a piece of China on the steep slopes of San Francisco. You cant come to San Francisco and not set foot on the Golden Gate Bridge! Entrance ticket to San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). Two lines leave from this same spot, so you need to check the name at the end of the car. However, we do suggest you download the tour at your home, hotel, visitor center, etc before you head out for a completely immersive experience. Discover San Francisco at your own pace on a self-guided tour available on your smartphone, Choose to pause the tour, spend more time at a location or skip a stop, See the Great Seal of California, learn about its symbols and origins, Cross the Golden Gate Bridge - the most iconic sight in San Francisco, Drive on Lombard street, claimed to be 'the crookedest street in the world, The tour has a fixed price for groups from 1-5 people, you are requested to pay the full price regardless of the number of participants, Note, this is a self-guided driving tour : You will need to arrange your own means of transportation, 24 hours before your tour starts - you will receive an email or text from the tour operator with a link to the app and a unique password to access the tour - within the app, App is available for iOS and Android/Web users on the Apple App Store or Google Play, From there, you can start your self-guided tour at anytime (recommended during daylight hours), simply follow the audio instructions and the route, With the app, you can pause the tour, spend more time at a location or skip a stop, while having all the best information about each stop at your fingertips, Bring a fully charged phone and headphones, Unfortunately, this experience is not wheelchair or stroller accessible.